So, you want to know, “How hard is it to learn an acoustic guitar?” Of course, this does not have a unanimous answer, as the learning curves tend to vary from person to person. Nonetheless, here is my answer: “Learning acoustic guitar is actually hard.” By “actually hard, ” I mean you will never progress overnight. You will be required to invest months or years to get really good. This demands immense patience and self-discipline, which are only possible if you have a strong will.
I should remind you that every guitarist on the face of the earth has been through this hardship and was willing to give whatever it takes to get good and achieve their goals. That is just the way it is.
Here is a disclaimer though
I don’t mean to discourage you in any way, so I should expound upon my answer. Therefore, in this article, I will explain what I actually mean by “learning acoustic guitar is hard,” and by the end of it, you will have a good enough insight into what makes learning guitar challenging and how you can resolve these challenges.
If you have already set out for your journey and acquainted yourself with the tools needed for mastering your instrument and craft, this article will be helpful in smoothing out your own understanding of the “way” of the guitar. However, my goal is to shape this article to address the beginning or aspiring guitarists’ problems and confusion.
What makes an acoustic guitar hard to learn
To perform on the guitar, you must acquire many technical skills depending on your goal. The more proficient you want to become, the more work you must put in. This is obvious, right?
Your body and brain are not prepared from the get-go. The muscles of your fingers, arms, and shoulders need to be trained to execute the movements that are not familiar to them. Initially, they will not be apt enough to perform the necessary tasks. You will have to work hard to train them. This will pose a challenge to you. There will be times when your fingers give up. And you will see less progress than you anticipated.
Compared to an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar has a wider neck, bigger body size, and higher tension in strings. When compared to an electric guitar, all these characteristics make it difficult to play on an acoustic guitar.
Thousands of guitarists have been through all these and perfected their playing and skills on acoustic guitar. So, all these issues can be resolved.
How can you overcome the difficulty of learning the acoustic guitar?
To find solutions to the problems mentioned earlier, pore over the following points.
1. Learn to hold a guitar
This is the most important and often neglected aspect that determines how well you can perform. Improper body and guitar position will build bad habits over the long term. Once formed, these pesky bad habits are challenging to get rid of. Be mindful of your posture from the very start.
2. Never skim over the rudiments
The rudiments or the basics are the building blocks of all the following intermediate and advanced techniques. Needless to say, a lack of well-established basic skills will result in sloppy playing down the line. Take your time with finder dexterity and independence exercises. Pay attention to strumming hand exercises, as the strumming hand is where the magic happens.
3. Play louder with accuracy
Playing louder helps you notice the inaccuracies in your playing. Beginners often, unintentionally, start playing quietly. Don’t fall for this. Always play as loud as possible, no matter how noisy or sloppy your playing sounds. This will inadvertently help you pinpoint the flaws and take active steps to correct those.
4. Learn Techniques with music theory
You will often hear something like Music theory will ruin your creativity. This cannot be further from the truth. Learning music theory will improve how you make and analyze music. Additionally, this will connect everything you are practicing and explain how music works. Though, you don’t need music theory from the very start. I will advise you to take it slow, but don’t throw it out of your routine altogether.
5. Learn to listen properly and play by ear
Having a good ear is like a superpower for a musician. Your ears will be your greatest asset as a guitarist. If possible, try to tune your guitar by ear. One thing that you must do is learn songs by ear. It could be the chord progression or just a section of a song. Playing by ear is an exhilarating experience for you, and this will motivate you to take up the guitar the next day. Trust me.
6. Have a practice routine and stick to it
This one is quite simple and self-explanatory. Most of your improvements don’t come from how hard you practiced but from how consistent you were. Playing every day, even for 10 or 20 minutes, will bring noticeable results over weeks and months. Make sure you have exercises that prioritize both the left hand and right hand, as well as rhythm and ear training. If you don’t have time to practice all these in a single session, you can spread them over a week.
Final Words
In light of what we have discussed so far, I will address the question, “How hard is it to learn an acoustic guitar?” again. I would still say it is hard to learn the acoustic guitar, but so is everything else that you want to be skilled in. Playing guitar requires physical and mental skills, and you have to put in a lot of work. But, once you get to know the instrument you will certainly discover how beautiful the acoustic guitar sounds and it will bring a lot of joy to your life.
With this, I conclude this article. I wish you all the best things that can happen when you take up learning guitar. Be mindful of your flaws, take proper steps to resolve them yourself or with help from others, and enjoy every moment of your journey. You will be an amazing guitarist in no time.
